


Just Another Day

by OreoLuvr13



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Brain Damage, Gen, Hurt Mike Ross, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-03 15:38:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17880500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OreoLuvr13/pseuds/OreoLuvr13
Summary: Mike's life is forever changed after he suffers a ruptured aneurysm. It will be a tough road, but he is surrounded by Harvey, Donna, and company.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still bringing my works over to AO3 from fanfiction.net. This is an old story of mine. Because I started it so long ago, a lot of it is no longer canon compliant, but it still has a special place in my heart. I still update it time to time and hope to have a new chapter up in a couple of weeks. I hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> I started writing this based on a prompt over at SuitsMeme, who was looking for something like Pokeyshadow's Patience is a Virtue. For those of you who haven't read it, it's an awesome White Collar fic, and I strongly suggest you do. I'm going to frame my story after hers in the sense that it's going to be a bunch of one shots centering on a major plot twist. I'm trying to make my story different than hers, but if things look similar I apologize. It's completely unintentional.

Harvey is busy putting together the things that he needs for the night, and checks them up off the list that's in his mind, quietly. "Phone, check. Brief case, check. Harvard baseball hat, check. Batteries, check. The Book of Dead Philosophers, I still don't know how he can make sense of that crap, check. Copy of The Good Guys blu ray, check. Rocky, check. The Historian's-"

"I got some of those chocolate chip cookies from that bakery he likes," Harvey's check list stops, as he looks to see where the intrusion came from. He looks at Donna in the doorway with a stern look on his face. He glances at the bag of cookies that she has in her hands.

"You can't keep giving him sweets. It's not good for him."

"Hey, at least he's eating now. It wasn't too long ago that they were considering putting a feeding tube in," Donna replies. Harvey's stern look disappears when Donna says this. How could he forget how difficult it was to get Mike to eat after the surgery? No matter what they tried, it was a battle to get him to eat. Scenes of past countless lectures, angry outbursts, and heartfelt pleas run through Harvey's mind at the thought. Hell, it's still difficult to get him to eat an acceptable amount of food. But, at least he's eating something now.

"I'll give them to him, if I get a good report on how he's been doing."

"You better, and don't forget to give him this," Donna says as she adds a copy of The Hunger Games to Harvey's pile.

He raises his eyebrows in response, "He actually wants to read this garbage?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I guess. When Rachel visited him over the weekend she told him about it. He seemed interested, but she couldn't bring it to him because she's been busy with the Jacobson case. He mentioned something to me last night when I stopped by. So, here it is."

"Okay, well I better get going. I have to stop and grab some dinner at Tony's before I head over there," Harvey says.

"Ok, don't forget, no spicy mustard on his sandwich. He doesn't like spicy foods."

"I know, Donna. I have it covered. Have a good night."

"You too. Tell Mike, I say hi and I will stop by over the weekend. I'm bringing the Back to the Future Trilogy." Donna has a smile on her face; she's looking forward to this weekend. Harvey promises to do just that and then grabs the rest of his loot and makes his way to the elevator to leave for the night.

XXXXX

"Do you need help, Mr. Specter?" a cheerful voice calls out to Harvey as he struggles with his bag of goodies and a takeout bag from Tony's. Harvey looks towards the guardian angel with a look of gratitude.

"Yes, thanks, Becky. And please, how many times do I have to tell you, call me Harvey." Harvey looks at the petite, brunette nurse. Becky has been a god send sense this nightmare started. The gentle nurse has been a constant fixture in Mike's recovery from the first day he arrived at Pine View Rehabilitation Center. It was Becky's reassuring smile, and guidance that made Harvey more comfortable with the idea of leaving Mike all alone in a new place, so soon after surgery. Now with Becky's support Mike is making great strides. Harvey will forever be in debt to Becky and the other staff members of Pine View Rehabilitation Center.

"How's Mike doing today?" Harvey asks.

The quick look of unease that passes over Becky's face is all that Harvey needs to make a guess. Mike isn't having a good day. With a somber look on his face Harvey asks, "What is it?"

Becky calmly says," He's been off all day. Probably has to do with the fact that he barely slept last night. When Tina was doing her rounds over night, she noticed that Mike was up both times she checked in on him. And you know what happens when he doesn't sleep."

Harvey knows exactly what happens when Mike doesn't sleep nowadays. Even though Harvey knows that he cannot compare the Mike of now to the Mike of old, sometimes he can't help it. It's hard to believe that the same kid who used to be able to pull off all nighters without yawning then, is so drastically different from the Mike now when he doesn't get the sleep he needs. Harvey takes Becky's words as a bit of a warning and proceeds toward Mike's room.

As Harvey enters Mike's room he hears the tv going. An episode of Law & Oder is playing. Mike is sitting there on his bed, watching tv. Mike must have heard Harvey's footsteps, because before Harvey could even knock, Mike is already looking towards the door. Harvey smiles at Mike as he makes his ways towards Mike's bed. Harvey takes a good look at Mike. Even after two months, it's still strange to see Mike like this. With his Nike track pants, Harvard sweatshirt, and a Yankee cap, Mike looks like a teenager lounging at home. Not Harvey's golden boy associate. Harvey would do anything to see Mike in a suit, even wearing one of his ridiculous, skinny ties. That means Mike would be working alongside Harvey at Pearson Hardman, and isn't recuperating at a rehabilitation facility, relearning every day skills that everyone takes for granted. Harvey shakes the longing feeling for the way things used to be out of his head, and holds up the new Harvard baseball cap he brought.

"I couldn't stand looking at your ratty Yankee hat anymore, so I got you a new one."

With a genuine smile on his face, Mike reaches for the cap that Harvey is holding. Harvey can't help but notice the shaking of Mike's hand as he goes to grab the cap out of Harvey's outstretched hand. Harvey knows that shaking is a telltale sign that Mike's body needs rest. Mike happily replaces the Yankee hat with the newer one that Harvey brought. There is only a three second window where Harvey can see the scar on Mike's head. Harvey would like to think that he has gotten over his uneasiness over seeing the scar, but he also knows that the scar is substantially less noticeable than it was immediately following Mike's surgery and beginning of his recovery. The fact that Mike's hair is now at a buzz cut length also helps to camouflage the scar.

"Th-h-h-inks, H-h-h-h-are-v-v-vey," Mike says.

Harvey briefly closes his eyes, reminding himself that now Mike only stutters like this when he's tired. Mike's progress isn't regressing. All those hours with Charlie, Mike's speech therapist, are not going to be for nothing. Once Mike gets some decent sleep, he's going to once again be spewing useless information that at one point annoyed Harvey to no end. But, now Harvey loves it. It reminds him, that Mike is still Mike, and no brain aneurysm is going to change that.

"No problem, kid. I got us some dinner from Tony's." Harvey sees the looks of uneasiness pass over Mike's face. He knows that Mike's nervous that he brought something to eat that would require the use of utensils. Even with all the progress that Mike has made sense the ruptured aneurysm; his fine motor skills are still a work in progress. Using the remote control is tough, but manageable. Buttons are even more difficult. Anything that requires holding something small is nearly impossible, this includes simple tasks such as, writing, brushing your teeth, and of course eating. What makes it even more difficult is that the only way that Mike's motor skills are going to improve is if he practices these skills. And he won't do so in front of Harvey. Harvey knows that Mike's reluctance to do so is because he's afraid of looking weak in front of him. No matter how many times Harvey tries to reassure Mike that this is not the case, he knows that Mike still feels the same way.

Harvey takes the turkey sandwich out of the takeout bag, unwraps it, and places it in front of Mike to eat. Mike looks at it wearily. Harvey instantly knows why Mike is so untrusting of the sandwich. Another effect of the aneurysm is that Mike's appetite has changed. Foods that he used to love before the aneurysm, he can't stand to look at now. He used to love spicy mustard on his sandwiches, but this is no longer the case. Harvey still can't help but laugh when he thinks of the time when Louis found this out the hard way.

"Don't worry kid, no spicy mustard this time. Just plain turkey and cheese with lettuce and tomato on a hard roll."

"Let-t-t-t-uce?" Mike questions with a look of distaste on his face.

"Yep, you have to get your vegetables some way. You'll barely taste it with the tomato, cheese, and turkey."

Mike takes Harvey's word and takes a bite of his sandwich. Harvey opens the bag of barbecue chips he brought for Mike and places them on the table next to Mike's sandwich.

"D-d-d-id y-y-ou bring m-m-m-e some-some-th-th-ing to dr-r-rink?"

"Here you go." Harvey opens the can of Pepsi and puts a straw in it. He hands it over to Mike to take a sip. Once Mike is situated with his dinner, Harvey takes out his own sandwich and fries and begins to eat. Dinner is quiet, and the only times words are spoken is when they make a comment about something that happened on the episode of Law & Order that is playing on the television. Not too long after, they both finish their respective meals.

Glad to see that Mike actually ate everything (including the lettuce), he turns to Mike and says, "Good job, rookie. Donna got these for you." Harvey places the chocolate chip cookies on the tray. Mike happily grabs a cookie and quickly devours it. Harvey can't help but smile, that is such a Mike thing to do. "Okay, enough of this Law & Order shit, let's put on a movie. I say Rocky."

Mike nods his head in agreement. Harvey puts the movie on and the two of them are quickly immersed with watching the movie. Throughout the movie they talk about the movie, what's going on at Pearson Hardman, and the latest issue of Rolling Stone. Before long, the casual talk tapers off. Harvey looks at Mike, and sees that the kid is fast asleep. His baseball hat had fallen off, and his head is tilted to the right. His exhaustion has finally caught up with him

Harvey smiles. Its times like this, with him and Mike bantering back and forth that gives Harvey hope that everything will be ok. Like a proud papa bear, he's proud at how far Mike has come. It's been two months sense Mike's and in a way Harvey's life has changed. In some ways, these two months feel like a lifetime, but in other ways they feel like they flew. That's probably because he can recall the events around the aneurysm so vividly. He still remembers Donna interrupting his meeting with the senior partners, telling him that Mike collapsed. He remembers rushing to the hospital and then having to wait for what seemed like forever to be told that Mike had to go into surgery for a ruptured aneurysm. And with that came even more waiting. He remembers Dr. Clarke telling him that brain damage was a likely possibility. He remembers sitting by Mike's bedside, waiting for him to wakeup. He remembers Mike finally waking up, and realizing that everything wasn't going to go back to the way it was before the aneurysm.

Harvey also remembers the good. He remembers when Mike first said his name without stuttering once. He remembers Mike finally being able to wash his hair, because it had gotten long for him to do so. He remembers the first time Mike tied his shoes. Harvey knows that today was a so-so day, but it was better than the day that he was told by Dr. Clarke that they didn't know if Mike was going to make it through the night. Mike will get the sleep he needs, and tomorrow he will continue to make great strides in his recovery.

Harvey gets up and pats Mike's head, running his hand gently over Mike's scar. "Good night, kid. I'll see later." Harvey goes toward the door and turns to Mike again. With one last look he leaves. After it all, it's just another day, and he needs to get up early tomorrow for a nine o'clock meeting with a client. He still has briefs to go over. He has to do it himself since he doesn't have an associate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike lays in the ICU as Harvey keeps vigil.

Chapter 2-November 30, 2011

The whooshing of the ventilator, beeping of a heart monitor, and the intermittent inflating of a blood pressure cuff fills the air. Harvey is sitting guard next to Mike's bed, willing Mike to wake up. The ventilator obscures most of Harvey's view of Mike's face. But, what Harvey can see is striking. Mike's face is the palest that Harvey has ever seen it. The only thing whiter than Mike, is the bleached white sheets and the huge bandage covering Mike's head.

It's three in the morning, but Harvey can't sleep. He doesn't think that he can sleep, until Mike wakes up, moves a finger, twitch, do anything that gives him hope that he's going to be okay. Harvey's thoughts are interrupted by the footsteps of a nurse. Harvey thinks her name is Lori. He vaguely remembers her telling him her name when he first came into the ICU to see Mike. He was so concerned with seeing Mike that he didn't really pay attention to anything the nurse said, including what her name was.

He's right her name is Lori, as her name tag indicates. She goes over to Mike and looks at the monitors and records the readings. Her face doesn't tell Harvey anything, so he quietly asks, "How is he?"

"He's doing as well as can be expected," Lori replies.

Harvey is so tired of hearing these vague answers. He wants a straight answer damn it! "That's what Dr. Clarke said. I want to know the truth. I know nurses know more than the doctors do. So, give it to me straight. How is he?" Harvey asks again.

Lori knows she should just once again say that he's doing as well as can be expected, but she also knows that this is not going to satisfy Mr. Specter. Mr. Specter made it clear from the moment he arrived at the hospital that he wasn't going to take any bullshit when it comes to Mike Ross. Hence, why he's sitting in ICU, way past visiting hours have ended. Lori knew that she can be honest with Mr. Specter, even if the news were bleak. He seems like he can handle it, and didn't expect anything less than the truth. Lori goes on to say, "About 5% of the population develops an aneurysm sometime in their lifetime. Out of that five percent, only 20,000 actually experience a ruptured aneurysm."

"So, Mike is one of the rare cases. Great." Harvey says sarcastically. He knows that he's taking his frustration out on the closest person, and In this case it's Lori. He knows that it's not fair, but he's exhausted and is in desperate need of sleep. But, his need for sleep is being outweighed by his concern for Mike. He's powerless to do anything to help Mike. He hates that he has to rely on the medical profession to keep Mike alive. Damn it! Mike is his puppy. He should be the one making sure Mike's alright; he shouldn't have to rely on other people.

"Mr. Specter, being negative is not going to help Mr. Ross. He needs to be surrounded by cautious optimism. If you're going to be negative, then I think you should leave. He does not need to wakeup hearing such things from a friend. As I was going to say, even though Mike has suffered a ruptured aneurysm, he has some positive factors on his side. He's young and is overall in good health. He made it through surgery, that's a huge feat. Many who suffer from a ruptured brain aneurysm don't make it through surgery. He's already beaten many odds; you need to believe that he will continue to do so."

Lori's frankness and reassurance makes Harvey take a deep breath. She is right. Mike has beaten the odds in so many ways before, Harvey just has to believe that he will continue to do so. "Yes, he has. Sorry, I'm a little short with you. It's been a long, trying day as you could have guessed. Thanks for setting me straight, I do appreciate it." Harvey says.

"I can only imagine what you're going through. After being a nurse for almost fifteen years, I tend to be desensitized to some things. I see things differently than family members and friends of my patients. I know that I told you earlier, but you can go home and get some sleep. He's probably going to be unconscious for awhile."

Harvey's heard this before, but he can't bring himself to actually leave Mike. He looks to Lori with a kind smile, "I know. I just can't leave him yet. I'll leave in a little bit, I promise."

She takes this answer and replies, "I understand. If you need anything, just let me know." She leaves Mike's curtain area, and once again Harvey's alone with the sounds of the machines that are keeping Mike alive.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knows his head jerks up in alarm. He frantically looks at Mike to see if everything is okay. Mike is still in deep unconsciousness. The ventilator and heart monitor are at the same pace as they were before Harvey fell asleep. If that's the case, then what the hell woke him up?

His question is quickly answered when he hears a quiet, "Ohhh, Mike." He looks to the end of Mike's bed and sees Donna standing there in a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"I thought I told you to go home. I was gonna call you in the morning." Harvey tells Donna.

"First of all, it is morning. Second, I thought the doctor told you to go home as well. Third, when do you ever tell me what to do?" Donna replies. "You couldn't stand to leave the kid alone, huh?"

Harvey shakes his head in confirmation. Mike has spent way too much time alone as of late. Mike's been dealing with the damn headache for a few days, alone. He collapsed in the bathroom alone. Rode in the ambulance alone, because the damn paramedics wouldn't let Harvey or Donna ride with him. He had to endure countless tests in the ER alone. After all that has happened, Harvey can't bear to leave Mike alone just again. To deflect the conversation away from himself he turns to Donna and questions, "what are you doing here?" Harvey looks at his watch, "It's nearly five in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep. I was too wound up to sleep after I left here." Harvey can contest to that, he just finally fell asleep himself a couple of hours ago. Donna didn't leave the hospital until after eleven, by the time she got home it was probably close to midnight. And the whole uncertainty of the situation made it difficult for anyone to get some sleep

Now that the niceties are out of the way, Donna moves closer to the Mike's head and takes a good look at Mike "God, Harvey. How the hell did this happen? This doesn't happen out of the blue. Where the hell were we when all this was going on? A freaken subarachnoid hemorrhage? Bleeding into the brain? I'm not a doctor but I know bleeding in the brain is not a good thing."

"Damn it, Donna, I know!" Harvey bites back. As soon as the words leave his mouth, Harvey feels instant regret. Too little sleep, gravity of the situation, and the loss of control has Harvey spinning off his axis. The glare that he's getting from Donna doesn't make matters better. Harvey runs his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry Donna. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just-"

"I know, Harvey. We're all feeling it."

"I know, but-"

"But, what?" Then Donna realizes what Harvey's problem is. It's not just the lack of sleep, and the fact that Mike just had surgery to stop the bleeding into his brain that was caused when the aneurysm ruptured. Nor is it, the fact that Harvey feels a sense of helplessness. Harvey's feeling something else. "Wait a second, don't tell me that you're blaming yourself for all of this." Donna says this as she's motioning with her hand around Mike's small ICU cubicle.

"Donna, how can I not. When he told me that he had a headache, I told him to suck it and pop a couple of Tylenol. When he started to puke, I told him to stay away from me, and I had him use hand sanitizer before he came into my office. When his damn eye was drooping, I accused him of having a damn drink during lunch."

Donna knew that she should stop Harvey to set him straight, but she also knows that Harvey needs to get this out. He can't hold on to what he is feeling. She waits until he's done.

"Are you done?" Donna asks Harvey.

"I think so."

"Good. Can I say something?" She asks

"Go ahead."

"I didn't mean to yell at you. I don't blame you or anyone else for this. I just can't get my head wrapped around it. I was venting about the unfairness of the situation. I know no one could have prevented this.""

"Easier said than done, Donna."

"I know that. The facts don't lie. This could not have been avoided. This is a rarity. Most brain aneurysms don't rupture. As awful as it may sound, Mike is one of the exceptions."

"A rare exception? How likely is that to happen?" Harvey asks.

Donna takes Harvey's hand into her own and says, "Probably as likely as it was to find a genius, college drop out with an eidetic memory, running from the cops on the very same day, in the very same hotel where you were interviewing prospective associates."

With that said Harvey smiles. "I guess you're right. Mike is an exception to almost every rule there is." Donna smiles at this. Harvey continues, "I guess that I have to keep reminding myself of this, and that Mike is going to come through this just fine."

"That's right, he is. We''e hee to help him along the way. Now get out of here. You're not going to do Mike any good if you drop dead from exhaustion when he does wake up."

"I don't want him to wakeup alone," Harvey admits.

"I know you don't. I rescheduled all of your appointments for today and tomorrow. You don't need to go to the office, and so by default neither do I. You go home, shower, and get some sleep. I'll stay here until you get back."

Harvey looks at Donna wearily. "Are you sure?"

"Completely. I don't want to see you back here for at least six hours. I'll call you if anything changes."

A nice, hot shower and his own bed does sound appealing. With Donna at Mike's bed side, he doesn't feel like he deserting Mike. Plus, he will be more productive if he's well rested. "Okay, then. I'm gonna go. Call me if anything, and I mean anything changes."

"Will do, Harvey. Now go. You look like crap. You would've scared Mike if he was to regain consciousness now."

Harvey can't help but laugh at Donna's comment, probably because it is 100% correct. If Mike was to regain consciousness at this very moment and see the state Harvey is he'll probably lapse back into unconsciousness out of shock. Harvey stands up from his chair by Mike's bed side and leans over the bed. He touches Mike's hand in a rare show of emotion, "I'm gonna go now, kid. Gotta catch up on some sleep. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. I don't want to have to look for another associate. See you in a bit." Harvey goes to leave the ICU cubicle and turns back towards Mike. He closes his eyes for s a second, saying a quick prayer. Please God, let him still be here when I get back. The kid is too damn young to die. When Harvey is done with his quick prayer, he opens his eyes and leaves the ICU.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis decides to go along with Harvey to visit Mike. It doesn't go too well....at Louis' expense.

Ch.3-December 21, 2011

"You really want to do this?" Harvey asks and stops before they enter Presbyterian Hospital.

Louis Litt rubs the back of his neck nervously. Want to? Not entirely. Louis can think of about a million other things that he would rather be doing on his lunch. He's not entirely thrilled with the prospect of going to a germ infested hospital to visit Harvey's golden boy associate. But, he is human after all, he does feel for the kid. To be stuck in the hospital for close to a month, with Christmas right around the corner, must be awful.

"Yes, Harvey, I'm sure. I want to do this. I even had Norma pick something up for us to eat for lunch."

Harvey is skeptical of Louis' new found urge to visit Mike. This would only be the second time sense Mike went into the hospital that Louis visited him. "Why are you even here? I know you hate the idea of coming in contact with germs. Plus, you've never been Mike's biggest fan. The last time you came, you nearly had a conniption when Mike was trying to eat his lunch, and was getting it everywhere."

How could Louis forget that? It was a little more than a week ago. Louis and Harvey had a client meeting near the hospital, so Harvey decided it would be nice to visit Mike. Louis didn't want to be rude, so he decided to tag along. He hadn't seen Mike sense he went into the hospital. Unfortunately, the pair came just in time for lunch. The doctors and therapists were evaluating Mike's fine motor skills. The occupational therapist had the brilliant idea of having Mike try to eat some spaghetti. It was a disaster to say the least. By the end of the meal, Mike was frustrated beyond relief, Harvey was upset, and Louis felt incredibly awkward.

Louis does not want a repeat of the spaghetti incident, so he asks, "He's good with finger foods, right? I got him a sandwich, with chips, and a soda."

"Yeah, he does okay with sandwiches." Harvey answers. They go into the hospital and head towards the elevator. Harvey turns to Louis, and says. "His motor skills are a bit better, but he's still struggling with his speech. The stuttering gets really bad when he's excited, nervous, or frustrated. Seeing you, might be a trigger. He gets really self-conscious about it, so if you think you're going to make a rude comment or something, leave before you do so. We finally got him talking and we don't need him to stop because you said something stupid that made him feel like crap." Once they're in the elevator, Harvey hits the button for Mike's floor.

A disbelieving look comes across Louis' face. Did Harvey think that he was a complete, insensitive jerk? He knew that the brain bleeding and loss of oxygen effected Mike's speech, along with other things.

Harvey must have noticed the look of disbelief on Louis' face because he quickly tries to rectify the situation. "I'm not saying that you would say anything mean to him on purpose, but I also know how you don't have the best social skills." Harvey stops for a second. He knows that Louis wouldn't be cruel to Mike on purpose, but Harvey has this unshakeable need to protect the kid these days. The kid could barely take care of himself, someone has to. "I just don't want him to get upset. When he gets upset, he can't focus on anything else, including his therapy." Harvey stops for a second and adds, "I need him back in tip top shape. I can't stand any of the other associates."

"Easy there, Harvey. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that you actually care about the kid."

As the elevator opens, the two walk out. Harvey looks at his phone and says, "Shut up, Louis. I have to call your wife so we can make dinner plans."

"For the millionth time-"The bantering between Harvey and Louis stops as they near Mike's room. They stop as one of the day nurses, named Danielle, leaves Mike's room.

"Oh, good. You're here."

"Hi, Danielle. How's Mike."

"Not too bad, except that we can't get him to eat his lunch. He barely touched his dinner last night, and he only had a nutritional shake for breakfast. He has to be starving."

"No offense, Danielle, but I wouldn't eat the stuff this place serves me either. But, good news. My pal Louis brought Mike a sandwich." Harvey gently taps Louis' shoulder. "Mike is more likely to eat a sandwich anyway."

"Good. Remember, what Dr. Tambori said. If we can't get Mike to eat-".

Harvey rubs the bridge of his nose. "I know Danielle, I got it covered. He'll eat his lunch," Harvey says quickly. Louis looks at Harvey, and then at the nurse wondering what she was going to say before Harvey cut her off.

"I know you will. Bye, Harvey and…Louis" Danielle leaves the pair in the hallway and makes her way down the hallway into another patient's room.

Louis' interest is peaked with what Danielle was about to say. He can't leave things alone, "what happens if you can't get Mike to eat?"

Harvey looks at Louis and then towards Mike's room. He's not really sure if he should be telling Louis personal things about Mike's recovery. But, if Mike doesn't start eating, Louis might see it himself.

He looks Louis in the eye and says, "If we can't get Mike to start eating regularly, they're going to have to put a feeding tube in."

Louis takes a deep breath. "Is it really that bad, Harvey?"

Harvey looks at Louis in astonishment. "Yes, Louis. It is that bad. The kid is making great progress, but eating is the biggest struggle. His appetite is completely different from before. Just finding foods that he actually likes and willing to eat is an accomplishment. And the physical act of eating is a struggle." Louis takes this all in, waiting for Harvey to say more. Harvey continues, "So, I need to get the kid to eat. Don't do anything stupid to make him feel like an invalid. When he gets upset, he clams up and getting him to eat becomes nearly impossible."

"Got it."

The two walk into Mike's room. Mike is sitting in a chair, reading a thick book. He's so engrossed in the book that he doesn't look up until Harvey interrupts him.

"Hey, kid. How're you doing?"

Mike looks up from his book, and smiles at Harvey. When Mike looks up, Louis can see how much weight Mike has loss since he went into the hospital. The kid has always been thin, but now he looks fragile, sickly. Louis can see why both the nurse and Harvey are concerned about the associate's eating habits. When Mike notices that Harvey is not alone, a look of apprehension briefly passes over Mike's face.

"H-h-h-hi H-h-h-h-a-r-r." Mike stops for a second to think of what he's trying to say and tries again, "Hi, g—g-guys."

"I see you're reading that book I brought you on patent law. I wanted to refresh your memory on the subject since Pearson Hardman just signed McGaven Industries. I'm going to need your help on this Mike, so study up."

Louis turns to Harvey in awe. Unbelievable, the kid is stuck in the hospital, recovering from a ruptured aneurysm, and Harvey has him doing work.

"You have him doing prep work for the McGaven contract? You're ridiculous, Harvey. The kid is in the hospital and you have him doing work. Kyle or Greg could do it."

Harvey stops Louis' tirade, "I wanted Mike to do it, not those two brownnosers. Besides, Mike wanted to help." Harvey's few words said little, but the look that Harvey gave Louis spoke volumes. Mike wanted to do it, give the kid a sense of normalcy. Let him realize that he's not damaged goods. He's still one of the brightest associates at Pearson Hardman, brain injury and all.

"Enough about work. Mike, Louis brought you lunch. And you're going to eat it. I got you cookies, but you only get them if you eat some lunch."

Mike tries to reason, "I'm n-n-not h-u-un-g-g-ry."

"Cut the bullshit, Mike. I talked to Danielle before we came in. She said that you barely touched your dinner last night, and only had a shake for breakfast. Like I said, you get cookies, if you eat some lunch." Harvey looks at Louis, "what did you get him?"

"Turkey sandwich, chips, and a Pepsi."

"H—h-ow m-m-m-uch?"

"You're trying to bargain with me?" Harvey says incredulously. Louis thinks that Harvey's aggravated with Mike's attempted manipulation, but then Harvey says with a sly smile, "Nice work, pup. I see that you really are watching what I do. I say half a sandwich and ten chips."

Mike's lack of response means that he's clearly thinking about the negotiation. About a minute later he says, "s-s-s-ounds f-f-air."

Louis takes this as permission to proceed and takes out Mike's lunch, and places it on the table. He also takes out his and Harvey's lunch, as well. As he takes a bite out of his own salad, he sees that Mike has not even moved towards his food. Mike looks at Harvey. Louis doesn't know what the look means, but Harvey clearly does. "Jesus, Louis. Give the kid a hand."

Before Louis can ask Harvey what he means by that, Harvey quickly and efficiently opens the can of soda, unwraps a straw, and places the can of soda in Mike's hand. As Mike's is taking a sip of soda, Harvey opens the bag of potato chips and shakes some on to a napkin that's on the table. When Mike appears to be done with his soda for the moment, he hands it back to Harvey, his hand shaking noticeably. Harvey in turns gives Mike the now unwrapped sandwich and places it in Mike's hand. His hand is under Mike's to give him the extra support he needs as he brings the sandwich to his mouth. Mike takes a bite of the sandwich and a horrified look passes over Mike's face.

A look of concern is evident on Harvey's face. "What is it, Mike? What's wrong?" No sooner does Harvey voice his concern, does a piece of sandwich comes flying out of Mike's mouth and towards Louis' direction. Louis looks on in shock to see a piece of half eaten sandwich make contact with his very expensive, black, silk tie.

"What the hell, Mike!" Louis exclaims. His disgust is clearly evident. His face is scrunched up in distaste. He looks around frantically for a napkin to clean the mess that's on his tie.

Then a deep laughter fills the room. Harvey is laughing so hard that Louis doesn't know how he can still be breathing. "Glad to see you think your associate ruining my clothing is a joking matter."

"Oh, Louis. Anything funny that happens at your expense is a laughing matter." Harvey quickly changes gears when he turns to Mike, "what happened? It's a turkey sandwich. You like turkey." Harvey's a little nervous. Turkey is one of the few things that Mike will eat, Harvey prays that Mike hasn't developed a sudden distaste of turkey.

Mike shakes his head no. Please no, don't tell me we need to find something else for him to eat, Harvey thinks. The Mike says, "It's s-s-s—spicy."

Harvey sighs in relief. "Louis, you got spicy mustard on his sandwich?" Harvey questions.

"Yeah, Mike always gets that spicy mustard on his sandwich."

Harvey shakes his head, "Not any more. Louis. He can't stand spicy foods. No buffalo wings, spicy mustard, or chili." Harvey looks to Mike for confirmation.  
"No s-s-spicy." Mike reiterates.

Realizing that the situation isn't as grim as he originally feared, Harvey starts laughing again. He takes out his phone and takes a picture of Louis' tie that still had some remnants of Mike's half eaten turkey sandwich on it. After taking the picture, Harvey goes into his brief case and takes out the cookies that he brought. "Here you go, rookie. After that entertainment, I'll let you have three cookies." Mike looks at him quizzically. "Don't worry, they're not the oatmeal ones. They're the sugar ones that Donna makes. You like them." Mike grabs a cookie from Harvey's outstretched hand.

Louis looks on in astonishment. Harvey's laughing, and Mike is smiling. Harvey doesn't laugh that much anymore, not sense Mike suffered the ruptured aneurysm. The days following Mike's admission to the hospital were hell for anyone who worked at Pearson Hardman. Everyone was walking on eggshells around Harvey, who was snippy with everyone. His concern for Mike was evident to everyone, even if it wasn't to Harvey himself. Everyone was afraid to say anything that might send Harvey over the edge. Donna and Jessica were the only ones who were able to handle Harvey's cantankerous mood. Louis realized that if Mike can smile after all he's been through, then Louis can deal with a ruined tie. "You owe me a new tie, Harvey. That is the least you own me for not telling me about Mike's new aversion to spicy foods."

"Sure thing. I'll have your wife pick one up after she leaves my place tonight."

"I don't have a wife."

"I know you don't, but it's still funny." Louis is about to say something, but then he sees that Mike is still smiling. He can deal with Harvey's jabs, it could be worse. It's just another day of working with Harvey Specter, the city's best closer.


End file.
